Heart
by Ignite the Airwaves
Summary: Teen Titans x Kingdom Hearts crossover. The Heartless need someone's heart, to unleash the ultimate evil. Sora and his friends along with the Titans don't wish for Raven to fall to the darkness. Read with knowledge of either. Low T rating.
1. Search

**A/N-I know people that know me on FF expect only TT stories. But today, this idea just grew in my mind. Great for Kingdom Hearts fans and Teen Titans fans alike. I will not make this crossover cheesy, nor will I switch pairings between the two (unless it's just perfect). But even if you don't know the story of one of these, just read anyway. It's pretty self-explanatory. You can PM me with any questions.**

Heart

Chapter 1- Search

It had been said that the Heartless were searching; but for what, Sora was not sure. He, along with Donald and Goofy, were still searching through countless worlds, hoping to seal the Heartless from ever having a chance at rule over the universe.

The world they were approaching quickly on their ship was unlike any that Donald and Goofy had seen before, but to Sora it felt quite familiar. Not his home, but quite close. They docked right beside a calm bay on a small patch of land, overlooking a large T-shaped structure. Sora looked it up and down, as if committing it to memory, whereas Donald snorted at the sight.

"This world looks ridiculous," he quacked, "Are you really sure the Heartless are coming _here_?"

Sora ignored the irritation in the nasally voice and straightened, the chain of his Keyblade chopping at the air. "Positive."

"How can you be so sure?!" Donald demanded.

"Hey, I'm the Keyblade master, aren't I?" Sora couldn't help but smile at his cocky statement. It was followed by Donald's customary grumbling; "He always has to bring that up…,"

Goofy, on the other hand, was excited as a child at the prospect of this new world. "Say, Donald," he chuckled in his throaty voice, "What world is this?"

The irritated duck, arms crossed, did not turn around. Perhaps his stance would have been more impressive if he had been a few feet taller. He merely supplied Goofy with the reply, "Earth."

"Earth?" Goofy exclaimed, "Golly!" The conversation was then interrupted by a loud explosion in the distance that shook the trees around them, tossing them about like rag dolls pushed against the wind. Over a city skyline, Sora and his friends could see a bright flash of light. Odd, as the Heartless usually appeared in quick bouts of darkness. But that had to be them, right? The odd party rushed towards the heat of the battle.

It had not been a very good day for Raven. She had been having the oddest premonition, and it was only highlighted by her latest nightmare. Her teammates were all worried about her, this she knew. She was acting erratic and very unlike herself. However, she couldn't tell them; no, that would require her telling them so much more. She reasoned with herself that as long as she didn't find the key, she would have no problems, she couldn't be found. As long as the key didn't find her.

Raven was shaken from her musings by a cry of, "Raven! Watch out!" The sorceress' eyes widened, but she managed to swerve in the air and successfully avoided Plasmus' solid fist. With a grunt of energy, she chanted her mantra and raised her hands in the air- until she felt a pain. It was at the back of her head, first just a small ache. Then all of a sudden the pain erupted, Raven's vision was gone in a cloud of black, and she began to plummet to the streets below.

Although Sora could tell that the creature before him was not in any way a Heartless, he had enough sense to realize that it still was evil. He assumed a battle stance, pleasantly surprised to see a group of odd-looking (though that was nothing new to him) teens already breaking the monster's defenses.

And indeed Sora was about to attack the stone beast, when he heard a scream. It sounded like a cry of worry. He followed the sound to see a boy about fifty feet away, battling with the monster, but his eyes somewhere else entirely. Sora followed those eyes, and started upon catching the focus; a purple- haired girl was slowly but surely plummeting towards earth. Her teammates seemed distressed, but were all either incapacitated or quite busy fighting. Sora had no other thought but to save her. That's what heroes did, right?

So breaking out into a run, Keyblade swinging aimlessly behind him, Sora caught up to the falling girl just on time; he landed to his knees, cradling her gently in his arms. In his peripheral vision, he saw a flash of bright green and heard the crash of the behemoth. A moment later, Sora looked up from the girl that he had caught and found himself looking directly into masked eyes. The boy that had screamed for her, that was who it was.

"Thanks. I never thought I'd see the day that a Titan would need saving." Most would have disliked the word choice, but Sora could see the grateful smile on the titan leader's face. Sora rose to his feet, and he felt the girl stir. Her eyes shot open, surprising him- purple? - and immediately he saw a flash of emotions on her face- fear, confusion, understanding, and resignation.

"Please put me down."

Her voice surprised him as well. It was husky and low, not what one would have expected from such a frail-looking female. He let Raven down gently, awkwardly scratching at the back of his head. "Er…sorry?"

The masked boy laughed. "Rae, it's good to see you're alright. And don't let her scare you away. Raven's not a big fan of new people." The purple- haired girl swatted at him, but his smile only grew. "I'm Robin," he said, "And we're the Teen Titans."

Sora watched as the other Titans approached. "So…you're all a team?" He became aware that Donald and Goofy were behind him.

"Yep. Crime fighters all the way, dude!" This came from a boy that Sora had not noticed, one that was curiously green.

Robin rolled his eyes. "That's Beast boy," he indicated the green fellow, "Cyborg," he pointed to a cybernetic teen, "and Starfire." The girl named last was orange-skinned, her fiery red hair cascading down her back. "Oh, and you just met Ra-," he stopped and looked around at the three previously named titans. "Guys, where did Raven go?"

"She probably went back to the Tower," Cyborg commented. The others seemed to accept the fact, so Sora continued the conversation.

"Oh, I'm Sora, this is Donald, and this is Goofy. We're here to protect your world from the Heartless. Apparently, they're looking for something and it's here."

"Heartless?" Robin asked.

Sora sighed. "It's a long story…"

**A/N- Was that terrible? I think it was okay at least. I've never written with the KH characters before, so please bear with me. Thoughts? R&R! Until next time, **

_Ignite The Airwaves_


	2. Explanation

**A/N- The plot is winding in my mind! **

buddybuddy96**- Thanks. Great to see consistency in my readers. Ask anything you need.**

Tsuki- hime Neko**- I can help you along. **

Locket123**- Thanks!**

Mr Joey Bon- **I'm leaning onto no pairings at all, as a matter of fact. I usually ship that pairing, but I decided to avoid romance on this one.**

-X-Deyoxis-X- **Yeah, I flubbed on that, I meant it to be Cinderblock. Happens to the best of us. Thanks for reading!**

Raven In The Darl/ Light- **Thanks.**

fadedphantom- **I've never played KHII, so it's based on my knowledge of KHI but doesn't completely conform to the storyline. Think of this as a new Heartless plot; a side mission, perhaps.**

B-rad15**- Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I have about thirty dollars in my wallet. Therefore, I own nothing. **

**Sora is a bit OOC in this chapter, but he had to explain the story a bit. **

Heart

Chapter 2- Explanation

The Titans took the trio of odd characters back to the Tower, and once gathered around in the control room, Sora began to explain.

"The Heartless are beings whose hearts that have been corrupted by the Darkness. Donald, Goofy, and I protect the other worlds from them and seal the worlds' keyholes so that the Heartless cannot return. Lately, they've been way too quiet. I go by my gut a lot-," here he paused and looked hard at Donald, "and I had a feeling that the Heartless were looking for a dark heart, but one in living form. They want complete control of something."

Robin was surprised, but of course he didn't show it. "So you think that they're looking for something or someone right here in Jump City?"

Sora nodded. "Almost one hundred percent. Having this Keyblade," he held up the large sword, "allows me to feel certain things. And there is someone very nearby that the Heartless are looking for. My Keyblade's attracted to the darkness, and it's sure picking up on something." Robin looked dismayed, then said, "Well, at least we know that this person is in Jump. How hard could he be to find?" He left the group clustered around the kitchen table to his computer. With a glance they could see that he was drawing up criminal files.

"Rob, unless there are criminals at large, they're not in Jump right now," Cyborg offered.

"Yes," Starfire piped in, "They are being held at the new prison in the town of Gotham."

"That's called Arkham," he grumbled, not taking his eyes from the computer monitor. Raven chose that moment to enter the control room as Beast Boy spoke.

"But who said that it's a criminal?"

She halted in her step, then quickly composed herself. "Beast Boy is right," she said slowly as she approached the group. They looked up in surprise.

"Raven, are you all right?" Robin asked. "You just left us before back after that battle." She was looking through Robin as she spoke, and it bothered him immensely.

"I needed to meditate," she offered. Usually Robin would have taken this response without question, but he was a little suspicious of the way her eyes were darting about the room, a rabbit sniffing for a trap.

"Nothing else is wrong?" he prodded.

"No."

Sora started in his seat, as if seeing Raven for the first time. He rose to his feet suddenly, an expression of immense surprise on his face. As he leapt up, his Keyblade swung high at his side, and Raven seemed to go pale at the sight of it; she staggered back. Before the Titans could process what had happened, Raven had teleported out of the room. Sora sat down slowly, mouth wide. His hand was shaking, and consequently the chain of his sword was loudly jingling against it.

Robin was the first to speak. "Sora, what happened?"

"I…nothing," he lied. "Robin, can I speak to you in private for a second?"

Robin nodded, curious as to where the conversation would lead. "Follow me into the hallway." They exited through the door and out of their teammates' earshot. For a moment Robin just looked at Sora patiently, waiting for him to speak.

"Well, I have a question about Raven…," Sora started. Robin's eyebrow quirked upward. Raven was a very delicate subject. "Yes?" he prompted.

"You- well, you trust her, right?" Sora hated the question, and hated it even more when he saw Robin's face grow cold.

"We all trust Raven with our lives. Now why did you question that?" Robin's voice was a deadly calm. All of a sudden, he wondered about this boy Sora. Was he really to be trusted? He knew that Raven came off as a bit- well, creepy- to strangers, but Sora was completely out of line to question her place on the team. Sure, he had saved her in a battle - but what did that really mean?

"Well, those feelings I told you about? When she walked by me, I just..my heart felt cold," the words sounded ridiculous to him, "And I felt like her heart is dark, very dark- and she may actually be the person that the Heartless are searching for. Please, I'm not lying. You just have to listen to me! She could be in serious danger."

Robin opened his mouth, expression skeptical, and Sora interrupted him. "Didn't you see how she freaked out when I stood up, when she saw my Keyblade? How she _teleported out of the room_?! Robin, you have to admit that it's suspicious."

At first, there were many things that Robin wanted to say. He wanted to point out that Raven did tend to leave the room without reason, and she had odd premonitions sometimes. However, he had to admit that Sora made a point. It pained him to think about it, so he vied for an excuse.

"Well, Raven is a dark person. But then again, she has proven trustworthy, and she's a valuable member of our team. If your feeling is correct, and the Heartless are indeed after her heart, then I believe you and my team have to confer about plans for her safety. However, I want to make clear that no matter how dark her heart may be, that is due to her origin; she is one of the best, purest people I know." It was his loyalty which made him so determined in proving his friend, and nothing more. Sora nodded, realizing this.

"So, I guess you want to know more about the Heartless? I can tell you about them."

Robin nodded and directed Sora back to the control room where the others sat talking. They looked up at once. Robin took a large breath.

"Everyone, Sora is going to tell us about the Heartless. I have every reason to believe that they want something right here in Jump, and we need to protect it."

**A/N- I can't even explain the joy I felt when Teen Titans came on the TV while I was writing this. Okay, this is still a little patchy, but I need to get used to using the KH characters before I can be fluent with them and such. **

**Until next time, **

_Ignite The Airwaves_


	3. Plan

**A/N- As promised, updating all of my fics. Check them out if you want. If not, boo you. **

**So, for the reviews: Well, it's all really a general thanks to **buddybuddy96, Shizuku Tsukishima749, Tsuki-hime Neko, fadedphantom, surfingfiend2685wolfqueen**, and **Mimi Foxtrot.** Thanks for your reviews.**

**The plot is ready to start kicking in here, but I have no plan besides forging ahead.**

**Remember that this is not RobRae, but Robin obsessing over a teammate's safety as he would for any of them.**

**Disclaimer: I own a cell phone, a guitar, and an iPod. Nothing else of value. **

Heart

Chapter 3: Plan

Over the next few days, two things occurred. One thing, and Robin noticed it very quickly, was that Raven never seemed to appear in the control room when the others were present. Robin deduced that she was scared of Sora's Keyblade, of his understanding of the situation, and that worried him. Robin was so used to her headstrong stubbornness when it came to her own safety. The other occurrence was the gathering of the titans with their new allies, strategizing the best way in which to protect the 'thing' that the Heartless were pursuing.

Robin had not yet told his team that Raven was the target. To be truthful, although he was glad that they hadn't realized as much (for Raven's sake), he was disappointed that none of them could discover it without being told.

Raven would have been able to put the pieces together…

Robin sighed, and placed his hand behind his neck, massaging it slightly. He had to admit that he was feeling tired, but of course that meant very little to the Boy Wonder. Besides, if he rested, then his team would be entitled to do the same. And at the moment, Robin really needed everyone's minds at work, even Beast Boy with his ridiculous suggestions. Every little bit of brainstorming helped.

They had yet to devise a plan that Robin fully agreed with. Truthfully, every plan sounded a bit too risky to him, and from what Sora whispered to him as their teammates were occupied, the Heartless were more than capable of murder. He knew that there had to be a way, there had to be a way to defeat them and return unscathed…

Beast Boy cleared his throat loudly. "Um, earth to Robin?"

The leader surfaced from his thoughts with a dazed expression, "What, Beast Boy?"

The boy responded, "Sora just thought of a really good plan. We need you to okay it though, if we want to kick some Heartless butt!" He pumped his green fist in the air, and Robin rolled his eyes. He turned to Sora, who then divulged into the idea. Robin bit his lip and hesitated for a very long moment. It seemed pretty foolproof. Finally, he turned to the others.

"Titans, that's the plan." From his peripheral vision, Robin saw Beast Boy and Cyborg bump fists, and he smiled. The team liked the plan, and that increased the chance of success. He could only imagine how their drive to succeed would increase if they knew that their object of protection was their best friend.

And speaking of the devil, Raven entered the room at that moment. She cast a wary gaze at Sora's Keyblade, and then continued into the kitchen to make tea. Robin noticed how her hands were trembling, and realized that she still didn't know if they had figured out that she was the target.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire gleefully called. Raven winced.

"Yes, Starfire?" Her voice was hoarser than usual, perhaps from being underused.

"We have secured the grandest of plans with which to save the target of the villains. Please, come see it!" Starfire was so cheery that Robin felt a swelling pity for Raven, who shuddered under the paradox of the words.

"I…I need to go meditate." The response was feeble.

"Girl, we haven't seen you in days!" was Cyborg's rebuttal, "You can stay down here for a minute."

She shook her head quickly, and brought the warm mug tight against her chest. "Maybe later." Her attempt at a smile was both pitiful and unconvincing. Nevertheless, the titans turned away and engaged each other in conversation, realizing that further argument was a lost cause. Raven retreated towards the door, and Robin recognized his chance.

"Raven, talk with me in the hallway?"

She quirked an eyebrow at him, but obliged. They went into the corridor, door swishing shut, separating the two from the loud occupants of the control room. For a long moment, Raven just looked at Robin in a calculating way, scrutinizing his features as if searching for a sort of truth. He figured that it was best to just spit out what she needed to hear.

"Raven, I know."

Instantly, her entire body tensed, and her eyes flickered downward.

"However, I didn't tell the team yet." Her eyes came back up to meet his.

"Why not?" She sounded remorseful, almost as if she wanted him to tell them.

"I wanted to talk about it first," he responded casually. Robin was surprised when these words were met with a snort.

"Robin, don't beat around the bush. Tell me. I'm not an idiot; I know when you're lying." Her face was twisted with a muted disgust that he disliked.

"I just thought that you should be the one to tell them," he finally answered, and she responded with a sigh. There was a prolonged pause and Raven seemed to be considering something. Finally, she spoke.

"Robin, I…I had a vision, very recently. And I admit that from the moment I saw that vision, I knew that the Heartless were coming for me. But Robin, I never dreamed that it would be so soon."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would have liked to know. The _team_ would have liked to know." His voice was becoming a growl, and Raven knew that she had to answer more delicately to preserve his sanity.

"To be perfectly honest," she stopped, and then continued, "I didn't want you guys to worry about me." Her gaze fell. Robin felt like laughing, but in a relieved and amazed way.

"Raven, not worry about you? Last time you kept a secret from us-," he saw her visibly tense, and changed the path of his words, "Well, I think that you've learned that we're here to help you, and secrets aren't a great idea. So, Raven, are you going to tell them, or should I? The secrets are over, promise me." He held out a green gloved hand.

Slowly, she took it. "I'll tell them. And Robin, I promise. No more secrets."

**A/N- That was sort of hard to write. Maybe I just need to plan it out more. PM me with questions or anything of the like. **

**Until next time,**

_Ignite the Airwaves_


	4. Encounter

**A/N- Hi everybody! Time for the new installment! A general review thanks to Shizuke Tsukishima749, Taeniaea, and Tsuki-hime Neko.**

**Buddybuddy96- I'll explain them here, not to worry!**

**XDark-Titan- Yes it is! (Obviously, as this is being posted.) I switch off between my three active stories. **

**Without further ado…**

Heart

Chapter 4: Encounter

Raven's eyes were set on the folded hands on her lap. She could not face her friends; she did not want to see their expressions of concern, hurt, worry. It pained her to see how they worried for her, as she felt that their attentions would be much better suited elsewhere. Raven could more than handle herself. Or at least she felt that she had to. Getting them involved again…was it really right? Was she selfish for letting them know and drawing their attentions to her?

"So, friend," Starfire prompted after a moment's silence, "You mean to say that you happen to be the target of these Heartless whom we have been searching for?"

Raven nodded mutely.

"Dude, why couldn't you have told us before we-," Beast Boy was interrupted by Cyborg's slap to his head. "Ow, what was that for?!"

Robin penetrated the silence with a harsh, meaningful look at the changeling. "Now that we know, we need to take action. Sora, if you don't mind, I would like you to brief the entire team on the Heartless. We still don't really grasp the concept."

"Um, sure," he replied. "The Heartless are led by- I guess villains is the right word. Villains like Maleficent **(1)**, for example. The Heartless themselves are mindless shadows; the darker a living mortal's heart, the larger and more destructive of a Heartless that can be created if the Heartless capture them. A person is only made into a Heartless, however, if they're completely overcome by the Heartless and killed. The Heartless are attracted to two things; dark hearts, because they crave power, and my Keyblade, because after I defeat the main Heartless of a world- and you'd know one when you saw it- my Keyblade keeps the Heartless from ever entering that world again."

"So, when exactly would the main Heartless come?" Robin asked, eyebrow cocked in thought.

"Well, it would be drawn to my Keyblade, so as soon as a strong enough Heartless could be created. Any minute, to be truthful. But because the Heartless never have been on this planet, they may send out some scouts first. Little Heartless, ones that'll be really easy to beat. And then the big one will come."

"And we'll be ready," Robin nodded. And as soon as he had said those words, the room flashed black, and Sora reached for his Keyblade. "They're coming."

"Titans…GO!" The metahuman team sprang into action. Beast boy and Starfire had teamed up with Goofy and were wiping through the newly appearing creatures, whilst Sora and Robin teamed up and so did Cyborg and Raven. The creatures really did seem like shadows, although shorter and in appearance seemed more like ants on hind legs. One blast from Cyborg's sonic cannon cleared away all of the Heartless in Raven's path, but soon they had multiplied to such a degree that she and her teammate were separated. Raven wasn't concerned; these Heartless were indeed very weak, as Sora had said. She raised her hands into the air.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" From her hands came the black magic, raising all the surrounding Heartless into the air. She released them, expecting them to leave as the mist that occurred when they had been defeated, with the red crystal hearts swirling into the air and evaporating. But instead they all dropped to the ground, obviously unharmed, and Raven's eyes widened. She looked at her trembling hands. The Heartless were surging around her now, closer and closer-

The Keyblade swept through the air, and the creatures evaporated.

"You all right?" Sora breathed, obviously worn from the battle.

Raven looked around to see Robin take down the last few Heartless, and the darkness that had prevailed in the room lifted. In the next moment, the masked hero arrived at her side.

"Raven…I saw…what happened?"

She bit her lip and released it slowly with a shaky breath. "My…my powers. They had no affect on the Heartless in the least." She heard the other Titans approach. The air was thick with unspoken tension. As always, Beast Boy cracked at it.

"Wait…so Raven can't beat those shadowy things? Dude, why? I don't get it."

It was finally Raven's voice that answered him, and she sounded tight, and undeniably angry with herself. "Well, Beast Boy, I _assume_ that the Heartless are composed of dark magic, and therefore by some sort of buffer, they themselves are impervious to my own magic." Her hands had clenched tight at her sides. It was obvious from the faces of her friends that they wished for nothing more than to step away from what was a suppressed explosion. Sensing an imminent danger, Robin took Raven's quaking hands in one of his own so she looked up into his eyes, seeming thoroughly disgruntled.

"Raven, relax." His tone was firm, and he felt her body loosen just the slightest bit. "Listen, none of that matters. All we have to do is work on your hand-to-hand combat, and you'll be fine. These things weren't hard to beat."

Sora cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Um, Robin? They get much, much worse."

Robin sighed. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to train harder than ever." Beast Boy groaned, and Robin continued. "I recommend you all go get some sleep. We need to wake up nice and early tomorrow morning. Night, guys. Cy, could you show Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the spare rooms?" The teen nodded, and everyone slowly filtered out of the room until only Raven and Robin were left. Robin turned to go, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned to face Raven. Her face seemed drawn, and a bit worried.

"Robin…," she hesitated, "We don't have much time, and you know as well as I do that I can't master hand-to-hand combat in a few days. And you also know that hand-to-hand won't exactly help me if I get into serious trouble."

"You won't. We'll protect you. Everything will be fine."

"Robin, you can't possibly believe that. If I'm the target, everything will be sent my way. Without my powers, I won't last very long," Raven spat out the words, as if they tasted bitter in her mouth. Robin could see how being powerless pained her. He understood her fear, even felt some of it himself. But he knew that there was only one thing he could say.

"Then I guess we'll need to start practicing."

**A/N- Argh, I can't really settle myself into this story. Maybe I just need to go a bit further. I'll keep trying, anyway. **

**Maleficent is the main antagonist of the game AND Snow White, if you recall. **

**Until next time,**

_Ignite the Airwaves_


	5. Training

**A/N- I finally pulled my head up and decided to continue this story. I feel I may write the next chapters much better than the past ones, due to improved writing ability (I think) and a better general idea of the story's direction Sorry for keeping you waiting! General review thanks to **–X- Deyoxis- X-, Shizuku Tsukishima749, buddybuddy96, **and** Tsuki-hime Neko.

BokMal14**- Yes, that was a mistake. EVERYBODY: Maleficent is the antagonist in SLEEPING BEAUTY, not Snow White. Sorry for the confusion that may have caused. **

Heart

Chapter 5: Training

A loud slap echoed through the padded room, and Robin laughed. "Come on, Raven, you have to try harder than that." He deftly dodged her flying fists, and captured her wrist with his hand, pulling it hard until it became twisted tightly against her back. She hissed softly in annoyance, and he chuckled again, releasing her. They automatically resumed their previous positions, bouncing lightly on the balls of their feet.

"Just try to always be one step ahead. Anticipate what I'm about to do," Robin told her. She groaned in response, fists held up halfheartedly. Robin rushed towards her, and she ducked as his fist swung towards her head. She then quickly darted to his side, delivering a punch to his lower stomach. She was disappointed that he didn't even flinch.

"Better," he said, "Better. But you're not quite there yet. I've seen you do better than this. You're not trying." She grunted in annoyance, and then surged forward. Robin ducked at her first hit, then just managed to escape a low kick. "Good," he advised as they sparred, "Use everything you can to help you. Don't rely on your hands alone." He reached forward with his hand outstretched, and she deftly kicked his ankle from underneath him so he fell to the floor. Robin looked up at Raven, her shoulders shaking with breaths.

"You're improving. But I wasn't even trying." She rolled her eyes and pulled him to his feet.

"Again?"

Before she could answer the question, Sora came to the room. He stood in the doorframe awkwardly for a second, and when his eyes met Raven's, she looked away. She didn't want him to think of her as the target, or worse, as the possessor of the darkest heart yet. And she didn't want to face Maleficent; her very heart pounded thick in her chest at the thought of it.

But Maleficent wasn't created from shadow; maybe Raven could fight her? She asked Robin this, but Sora was the one to respond.

"Chances are they'll just leave a main Heartless to do all of the work for them. I wouldn't count on seeing her at all. Then again, this'll be an important day for her. So maybe."

Raven sighed slowly. She and Robin both knew that her hand-to-hand wasn't terrible but sure wasn't great. Adrenaline usually did help her in fights, and may improve her accuracy a touch. Besides, from what Sora said, these Heartless that they would be up against (at least, the smaller ones) weren't very quick on the uptake.

But still. She needed a way to protect herself.

Sora was still standing in the doorway, and it bothered her, although the Keyblade was not even with him. He didn't seem like a protector to her; just a kid, one even younger than herself. Even so, she swallowed hard and said, "Sora, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Surprised, the boy nodded, and they left the room, also leaving behind a very confused Robin. Once in the hallway, Sora was about to speak, but Raven silenced him. She raised her hand and it glowed with a black aura, throwing open the door to the gym where she had been training moments before. As the door opened, Robin fell forwards onto the floor. His face reddened at being caught eavesdropping. He mumbled a quick, "I'll leave you two…," before hurrying off. Raven gave a faint, satisfied smirk.

"Go on," she prompted Sora.

"Well, I was just gonna ask what's up?" He answered, scratching his head.

"I want you to be absolutely honest with me right now," she said, and he was taken aback at how serious her tone was, "How much of a chance do we have of actually winning this battle?"

He hesitated, but knew that lying to her would do no good. "Well, it depends really. If Maleficent doesn't come, that improves our chances. If there aren't a lot of dark hearts on this planet to be used to create the main Heartless, the main Heartless will be weaker. It's all based on luck."

"But do you think Maleficent will come?" she prodded.

"I do," he admitted, "Because this is too important to her for her to miss it."

Raven's expression tightened, as if in resolve and understanding. She couldn't prevent this, she really couldn't. She couldn't just give herself up to the Heartless; her friends would still be in danger. "Thank you for being honest with me." The words sound forced, and she saw that he noticed. His eyes were already clouded with worry. Raven mentally noted that Sora needed to learn how to hide his emotions, but she couldn't be the one to teach him how. For the moment, she had bigger fish to fry. She walked away from Sora, towards her room. He watched her go, and she knew that his opinion of her had improved, if only a little bit, just because he had never heard her speak, and surely hadn't imagined her as anything near civil.

When Raven got to her room, the first place she went was to her bookshelf. Her pale, long finger trailed over the bindings of each old, musty book as she read their titles. She managed to pull out a few books, though none about the exact subject she had wanted, and set them down on their bed, where they let out a groan of old pages and a cloud of dust. Murmuring about how now she needed to change her sheets, Raven sat down and began to read.

**A/N- Okay, now I'm buzzing with ideas! This will most likely be updated soon, or I'll at least try to do so. Until next time, **

_Ignite the Airwaves_


	6. A New Strength

A/N- Hey, so remember last time when I said I was buzzing with ideas? Yeah, I kind of forgot all of them. Um, sorry about that. Thanks for reviews from **–X-Deyoxsis-X-, buddybuddy96, TheDreamChaser, Shizuku Tsukishima749, Tsuki-hime Neko, fadedphantom, ourantamaki123, **and **Xaphrin**. Now here it goes. This took me forever to write. It was just hard to arrange it how I wanted to.

Heart

Chapter 6: A New Strength

Closing the final book, Raven glanced at the stack of others right beside her. With a frown, she placed the book in her hand on top of the pile and looked over at her shelves. They were now empty. The stack of books was daunting. She knew most of her friends probably hadn't read as much in their entire lives as she had gone through in three days. But then again, she was hardly normal.

With a yawn concealed behind her hand, Raven stepped out into the hallway and walked toward the control room. The only times her reading had been interrupted were by two other Heartless attacks. She could see that Robin was getting nervous by them. But besides those attacks, she hadn't eaten, and her mind felt weak because of it.

Heads turned as she entered the room. She ignored them and walked towards the refrigerator, only to find it void of edible food. She groaned quietly and straightened, closing the refrigerator's door.

"Are you okay? We haven't really seen you much the past couple days." Cyborg was looking at her thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She paused, not wanting to seem insensitive towards his question, and then added, "Is there anything edible within the tower right now?" Cyborg chuckled sheepishly, apparently realizing (upon looking in the refrigerator) that no one had gone grocery shopping in a few weeks.

"Why don't we just go out for dinner tonight? Pizza?" He called the question towards the teens huddled on the couch. There was a general yell of approval, and gradually every person got to their feet. Raven watched, arms crossed, with a slight smirk on her face. The assembly of fighters stretched and talked all the way down towards the T-Car, while Raven, Beast Boy, and Starfire chose their own methods of transportation.

The pizza place was empty when they all arrived, but few citizens ate a meal at four in the afternoon besides the titans. Their server approached the table a tad warily, perhaps because of the way the table kept shaking, or maybe because of the mustard shooting across the room. Raven sure couldn't blame the way he had his pad pulled up towards his face.

"Hey," Robin greeted him with a smile. "Um, we want one meat lover's pizza-," he ignored the cry of protest and continued, "One veggie pizza, one mushroom pizza-." Starfire interrupted Robin with a poke to the shoulder. "Robin, they do not offer the mustard pizza. What shall I do? I do not wish for another topping." Robin sighed and finished his order, "And one cheese pizza. Thanks." The server scurried away. "That way, Starfire, you can just add your own mustard."

Raven rolled her eyes and took a sip from the water in front of her. After so many years of her asking for tea, the pizza place didn't supply any. She wasn't that surprised by it.

The pizzas arrived not long after; Robin had been intelligent and called in ahead to say the titans were coming. Though he had not requested the pizzas over the phone, he knew that the pizza place would have had plain pies ready to add toppings to. The longer the titans waited for their food, the more nervous the staff would get. This way no one had to suffer.

The loud conversation was somewhat quieted by loud chewing and gulping of pizza. Soon enough, although with food in his mouth, Beast Boy began to speak, and slowly almost all of the others spoke between bites. Raven watched with a mild fascination as Starfire doused the pizza with mustard, and Raven pushed her own slice around on the plate. She winced as she felt another headache coming on. They were getting more frequent now. Robin gave her a concerned glance; she was stupid to have told him about them in the first place. She shook her head dismissively. _I'll be fine._

And then Robin gave the server their debit card- funded by Batman, although only Raven knew that- to pay for the meal.

"Dude, that was totally worth the trip!" Beast Boy stood and stretched, an attractive blot of green wedged in between his front teeth. Raven was just about to comment on it, when the lit 'Pizza' sign above them blew out in a shower of sparks. It seemed like some sort of enormous power outage had ripped through the city; there was suddenly no light around them. Starfire lit a starbolt and held it before them so they could see. In the light, Raven could see everyone's breath escaping in mists. The temperature had dropped severely; suddenly she was very afraid.

Then they appeared.

There had to be millions of Heartless. They were larger than Raven had ever remembered, and as she rose her hands to fight, they trembled. The Heartless looked wider across the chests than usual, and their limbs were thick and rounded. It was so dark that the only way they could be seen was by their chalky outlines. Cyborg's light flipped up behind her. The visibility was still horrible. "Ready?" Robin asked her. She nodded slowly. Behind her, she heard Sora draw his Keyblade. For a long moment, everything was silent.

And then the battle erupted.

The numbers of Heartless were so large that it took no time for the titans and their friends to be split up. Raven quickly learned that her physical blows had almost no effect on these Heartless. It was getting colder, colder and she felt like she was going to fall-

But then she remembered what she had learned.

A white glow encircling her hands, Raven blasted a straight line across the crowd of Heartless. All those in her path died upon contact with the white power, and a satisfied smirk worked its way onto her face. She could tell that around her, her teammates were pleasantly surprised.

She had to remember to tell Beast Boy that reading really did come in handy.

A/N- Not to worry, the battle is far from over! This was so difficult to write that I actually had to take a break and come back to it. Well, you guys should know that the longer it takes me to write a chapter, probably just means it was harder to write. Yeah. Mhm.

Until next time,

_Ignite The Airwaves_


	7. Ultimatum

A/N- Happy reading!

Heart

Chapter 7: Ultimatum

Raven allowed a smile to creep onto her face as she blasted down the Heartless. They were going down very easily now, and she could see her teammates again amongst the dispersing crowd. They were gaining the upper hand; they were going to win.

She raised her hand in the air, summoning the white magic to her fingertips, but the magic fizzled and stopped when a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her upwards into the air. Raven glanced backward and gasped. The hand on Raven's wrist pulled her arm and twisted it hard behind her back.

"Maleficent!" Raven heard Sora's voice ringing across the area. Raven tried to rearrange her face from its current fear into an expression of defiance, mostly for her team's benefit.

"If you come any closer, I'll kill her." Raven felt the rounded top of Maleficent's staff poke into her back and she did her best not to squirm. She knew how she could get out of Maleficent's grasp, but if the woman's instincts and reflexes were quick, it would only have a worse outcome with that staff pressed so hard against her.

"You wouldn't do that!" Sora called, still crouched in a defensive stance. "You need her, you won't kill her." He gripped his Keyblade tighter, pleased to see that the other titans had taken his hint and were standing down.

Maleficent chuckled dryly. "Yes, you are quite right. However, I will kill her in time, and I hope that the loss will be something devastating. I intend to leave you all to wallow in it." Suddenly Raven felt a pain in the back of her head, and she moaned, fighting to keep her eyes open. There was a purple smoke around them now, and she coughed ferociously, hardly fighting the arm that was pulling her away from the other titans. Finally, she couldn't fight back any longer, not when her body felt so weak, and her vision slunk away.

From all the purple smoke, the titans couldn't see Raven at all, and they fought their way through it until it became apparent that she was no longer there. Robin let out a noise of frustration and slammed his bo staff against the ground in an act of suppressed anger. Starfire walked to him and laid a calming hand on his shoulder.

"We will get her back. I promise you."

Robin sighed. "I sure hope so, Star. I sure hope so."

"Don't worry, I think I know where Maleficent went," Sora said with a grin, "Follow me." Without waiting for a response, Sora ran ahead, the other titans following close behind.

He led them to the outside of a bank that had recently been slated for demolition by the city, because apparently the structure was so old that it was likely to collapse.

"Raven's in a _bank_?" Beast Boy asked dubiously.

Sora chuckled. "Nah, just come on." He walked inside and the others followed, stopping in front of a curiously shaped vault. It was square like all the others in the room, but much larger, and dominated by a large key-shaped hole. Sora held his Keyblade up, aiming it at the keyhole, and a yellow light erupted from behind it. The vault swung open, revealing a set of stone steps.

"Awesome," Beast Boy breathed. Robin couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Now let's go get her back."

She couldn't feel anything restricting her body, but when she tried to rise her head spun violently and she found that her limbs felt so heavy that she couldn't even lift them. Raven moaned softly as her head rested back against the rectangular platform.

"Are you comfortable, my dear?" Raven stiffened as Maleficent approached.

"Let me go," Raven hissed.

Maleficent laughed. "Dear child, why would I go to such lengths to secure you only to then release you?"

"My friends will be here soon. They'll defeat you," Raven said. Maleficent grinned, bringing her face so that it was only inches away from Raven's. Raven did her best not to wince.

"That's what I hope, dear. I've been expecting them." Maleficent pulled her head away and walked towards the other side of the room.

Raven was concerned with how prepared Maleficent was for an attack. Maleficent needed to use her, but there was some kind of business that she need to conduct with Sora or the other titans. It was worrisome. Raven tried to rise again, but her headache only increased. This invisible force that was pressing her down was restricting her power, and she could feel her power welling up inside of her, pushing and fighting to get out. She moaned again, but tried to repress it now that she knew Maleficent was in the room. She'd never felt her powers held back in this way, and it was more than painful.

"The fools are taking too long. It seems I'll have to begin without them, hmm?"

Raven was about to reply, but suddenly the words couldn't come forward because of the intense pain that wracked through her body. It felt like her heart was straining under the pressure, fighting intensely to rip itself from her chest, and suddenly she found it hard to breathe. Her teeth were gritted tightly so Maleficent couldn't get the pleasure of hearing her scream, but with every second the scream built up bigger in her throat, too big to swallow.

Suddenly there was a crash and the pain in her body shuddered and jerked to a stop. Raven fought to get her breath back as she heard Robin's voice ring out. Just hearing his voice made her relax.

"Give us Raven, now." Raven hadn't heard Robin's voice sound this hard in a long time.

"I can't do that, silly boy. We need her for the key."

"What?" Sora yelled out, "We thought you were going to make her into a Heartless."

She smiled. "All in good time, she will form the perfect Nobody. But never a Heartless. And we need her heart to open the key."

"The key?" Robin asked.

"The key to the universe. To unleashing the strongest of evils!" Maleficent rose her hands in the air, a grin splitting across her face.

"But she's not a princess of pure heart! She can't be! Her heart is full of darkness," Sora exclaimed, "It doesn't make any sense."

"That's where you're wrong. The darkness in her soul was influenced only by the demonic presence of her father. When she exorcised this demon, her soul was proven to be pure. As you know, the princesses of pure heart are those who are born without any darkness in their souls. And besides that initial blemish, she is one of them."

"Well, you're not allowed to have her," Robin said.

"I'm sorry, but you don't have much of a choice."

"Titans, GO!" The titans rushed forward to attack, but froze when a yellow light washed over the room. When their vision cleared, in Maleficent's place stood a large black dragon, scales flashing in the light. The shock was obvious on all of their faces, and Robin was the first to snap out of his surprise.

"Titans, formation seven! Go!"

The resolve returning to their expressions, the titans rushed forward with Sora and his party to take Maleficent on.

Starfire pulled Cyborg up above Maleficent, and he shot his cannon down at her. Maleficent swiped her claw at them and Starfire lost her grip on Cyborg, and he crashed to the ground. Starfire had no time to catch him, still involved with dodging Maleficent's claws. A blast of green fire erupted from Maleficent's mouth, and Starfire, distracted, fell from the air. Robin caught her just before she hit the ground, wincing when he saw some dark burns on her bright skin. He laid her down gently, and turned back towards Maleficent. He was shocked to see Beast Boy, Donald, and Goofy already sprawled on the ground. Then he noticed Raven, still as stone on the platform, and his jaw tensed. He ran towards Sora, the last member of his team still standing.

They nodded at one another. They both could feel the pressure, but they'd never admit it to each other. Robin threw a freeze disc at Maleficent, and her feet were glued to the floor. Sora and Robin looked at one another, hardly able to contain their excitement. And then the glassy ice around her feet shattered, and her fire shot out directly towards where Robin was standing. The boy wonder fell forward, groaning. His head was buzzing and as much as he wanted to stand, to fight back, to save his friend, he knew that he couldn't do it.

Sora looked back at Robin and bit his lip. Sora looked back at Maleficent, who was being surprisingly still.

"Maleficent, you only need seven princesses of pure heart. I thought that with Ariel, you had all of them."

He was surprised when the dragon's scales slowly melted and faded into a black and purple mist, clinging back to Maleficent's human form as her robes.

"That silly fishgirl was not a princess of pure heart."

"She wasn't?"

"However, we already have eight princesses with your friend here included. We only need seven."

"I don't understand," Sora said, "Who else did you capture?"

"You have a choice, Sora. Two choices."

And then he saw the other platform, set so far back in the room that he hadn't even noticed it before. He could see the white shoes and the red hair, and his breath caught hard in his throat.

"Kairi…"

"Make the right decision."

A/N- I made this longer than usual to make up for the ridiculous amount of time that's passed since updates. I apologize for that. Once again, PM me if you're only knowledgeable of one fandom and you don't understand anything.


	8. Rescue

AN- Sorry it's been so long! Enjoy!

Heart

Chapter 8: Rescue

It had to be selfish, for him to want her so much. Could he really do it? Would he really leave Raven just to get Kairi back? No, he wouldn't. Because if he did then Kairi would never forgive him. And that was something he wouldn't be able to stand.

Maleficent was standing right between the two girls, smirking. Despite all their previous altercations, Sora had never hated her. He had fought her to save others, but never hated her. That had changed now, and Sora was unaccustomed to so much hate surging through his body at once.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Robin breathing heavily. He had heard everything, and he was practically mourning for the decision he seemed to think that Sora would make. After all, if Maleficent was baiting him with another girl, she had to be special.

And Sora made his decision when his eyes met the Boy Wonder's mask.

"Kairi," he whispered, "Kairi."

Maleficent laughed, and with a wave of her hand the enchantments around the girl shattered. "Your decision, boy. Go take her before I change my mind. And leave so I can end this other girl before I get interrupted again."

With a pain deep in his gut, Sora slowly walked to the platform where Kairi was lying. He could feel Maleficent's eyes on his back, so he lifted her into his arms, still dawdling. And then he heard a noise and he knew it would be okay, that it all would be okay. Maleficent, occupied with Sora, hadn't noticed Robin rise from the ground and run to Raven's side. However, Robin was deterred when he found that magic was binding Raven to the stone and her eyes had gone glassy and unfocused.

Screeching with rage, Maleficent raised her staff into the air and brought it down hard. Robin tried desperately to avoid the black tendrils that had erupted from the ground and were snapping at his ankles, crackling with electricity.

Sora could see the doorway- he could escape with Kairi right now. His team would find him later, they always did. But he looked back to the titan whom he had just met, and gently laid Kairi on the ground.

Lunging into the air, he swung his Keyblade at Maleficent's back. She whipped around to face him, and with her concentration broken, the attack on Robin ceased. The two boys instantly knew what their goal was. They both attacked, Sora swinging his Keyblade high, and Robin kicking low, and as she fell to her knees, her staff flew from her hands.

Robin caught the staff with a triumphant grin, and Maleficent looked up, horrified, from the ground. Sora had his Keyblade aimed directly at her back and without her staff in hand she wouldn't dare to move.

"No! You can't touch that! You have no idea what will happen if you destroy it!" she shrieked.

Smirking, Robin raised the staff above his head and smashed it into the ground. The crystal shattered onto the ground, and he watched a purple mist unfurl as it escaped its container. To his relief, he saw the enchantments on Raven break, and he took her gently into his arms, trying his hardest not to look down and see what state she was in.

"You'll never get away with this!" Maleficent screamed, "Darkness will conquer all! You will never truly defeat me, or the darkness." Sora was about to challenge her statement, but to his horror, she started fading away to a purple mist right beneath the point of his Keyblade. In seconds she was gone.

"So I guess it's not over," Sora frowned.

"No, but for now, everyone's safe, and I think we're going to be better off now. I really do."

"Whoa Robin, cheery, huh?"

He laughed. "I think I'm justified. But for now let's get to the tower and get Raven and Kairi some help. Everyone else is just starting to wake up." The other titans along with Donald and Goofy struggled to their feet, moaning quietly but overall looking to be in mostly good health. They at first seemed pleased that Maleficent was gone, but then gradually realized that it wasn't necessarily a good thing.

However, they brightened when they saw Raven.

"Glorious! Friend Raven has been recovered!"

Robin was still grim; now he could feel her breath against his chest, and it seemed irregular and labored. "Not just yet, Star. Cy, I need you to come back with me to the tower. We need to get Raven medical attention right away. Sora's friend too."

Hearing his name mentioned, Sora perked up.

"Come on, Sora, we're gonna take the T-Car. Everyone else, get with someone who can fly and help each other back when you feel ready. Call in if there's any trouble."

With Raven and Kairi held tightly in their arms, they sat in the car and urged Cyborg to drive quickly. Sora had contented himself with staring into Kairi's face. It must have been one years, two, since he had seen her. He hadn't forgotten her face, but he had missed it.

But Robin couldn't bear to look down at Raven- not only because of the blood staining her leotard (hers?) but the warped expression of pain on her face. He held her tighter and tried to ignore how warm her body felt. She was on fire, she had to be. Robin felt like he was sweating.

They bolted out of the car doors, Robin running ahead to the Medical Bay. He gently laid Raven down on the first bed, and saw Sora do the same with Kairi on the adjacent one. Cyborg came in right behind them, and wasted no time in hooking them up to the machines that would hopefully tell them what was wrong. They had to all take a step back so they could be sure of what they were seeing.

"Okay…" Cyborg watched the first screen, "Kairi is in perfect health by the looks of this- low blood sugar, but she probably hasn't eaten in a while. She needs to wake up but her brain activity makes me pretty sure that she's just unconscious, and not comatose."

"And Raven?" Robin prompted. His heart faltered. Downstairs he heard the others enter the tower, but the noise was distant to the ringing in his ears.

Cyborg squinted at the second screen. "Her blood sugar is fine, lungs are completely functional-," he swore loudly.

"What?" Robin asked.

"But from the rhythm of her heartbeat, it looks irregular. And she might be bleeding internally. Like there are holes in her heart. Like it was being ripped away."


	9. Holes

AN- I know it's been a while and I'm sorry. After my final exams which end next Wednesday, I'll be writing all the time. Sorry if some people are OOC, I haven't written with them or watched TT in a month or two now.

Heart  
Chapter 9: Holes

Robin was speechless. He briefly met Sora's eyes, but then Sora turned away, ashamed. Sora was sitting at Kairi's bedside, holding her hand. Robin licked his lips.

"Well…you can help her, right? Come on Cy, tell me she's going to be okay." Robin's voice never sounded this desperate and pleading, and it made Cyborg grimace.

"I'm going to do my best. You know Rae, she's a tough girl. She'll get through it."  
"Thanks." He nodded at his friend, and looked again at Raven. He placed his hand on her forehead, and it was a small comfort for him to notice that it had cooled down from before. Already just the car ride seemed like it was so long ago.

"With her healing powers, do you think she can fix this? Maybe that's why she's unconscious?"  
"I want to say yes, Rob, but I really don't know. I mean, it's not a physical attack- it's magic. She's gotten rid of magical injuries before, but they were just cuts and bruises. This is something tricky."

Robin couldn't help it; he turned and glared at Sora. Why was Sora the lucky one, why was Kairi unscathed? Sora had brought all of this trouble with him. Robin knew it wasn't true, that the Heartless were searching for Raven regardless of Sora's appearance, but at the moment it was so much easier to hate him. Especially when Sora wouldn't even notice, wouldn't even look at him.

Robin's anger diminished as Beast Boy and Starfire entered the room with Donald and Goofy, all of them much more quiet and somber than usual.

"How're y'all feeling?" Cyborg asked, "Anybody need me to check them out?"

Everyone shrugged or mumbled an answer and averted their eyes; they obviously thought their own injuries much less than those of Kairi and Raven.

"Well Beast Boy had previously complained of a sprained ankle, although he will not admit it," Starfire announced, unable to hold her silence.

"Star!" Beast Boy whined, "I asked you not to-,"

He was interrupted by a spurt of ferocious coughing, and Cyborg and Robin turned their attention to Raven's bed. Robin gently held down her shoulders to stop her from shaking, and Cyborg held out a glass of water. Robin could see the flecks of blood on her lips.

"Here, here. Take it easy, Rae." Cyborg handed her the glass and she took it shakily, the fit ending. She drank slowly, obviously embarrassed by her episode.

"Guys, I know that you all want to know how Raven's doing, but I need you to leave for now so Cyborg and I can concentrate on helping her get better. Cy will brief you on her condition in the control room in a half hour. Agreed?"

No one seemed completely happy with the idea, but after a moment they all turned and filed out of the Med Bay.

"Beast Boy, lemme look at your ankle later, okay? Don't put any weight on it for now." Cyborg yelled after his friend.

"Sure Cy, thanks."

Now Robin turned and looked at Sora again. Sora seemed to have not noticed any of what had just occurred. Robin was about to speak to him, but Cyborg put a hand on his shoulder.

"His friend is hurt too, remember?" Cyborg muttered, "Have a heart man, let him stay. He's not in our way or anything." Robin reluctantly agreed.

They turned back to Raven; she eyed them warily. When Robin looked closely, he could see that her entire body was shaking and her eyes had lost a little bit of the sharpness and wit they once possessed. Suddenly, Robin felt utterly useless. She might die, and it was entirely his fault. He hadn't even noticed that Cyborg was talking to her quietly until he rose.

"She won't tell me what's hurting her," Cyborg said, slightly irritated. "And I don't want to run any tests in case they make something worse."

"Well, don't we know it's her heart?"

"Yeah, but if there was a certain part of her that hurt, it would be a lot easier to start there and see if Maleficent did damage elsewhere. That might even help us get the answer to help fix everything."

Robin frowned. "Look, I'll talk to her. Why don't you just go down to the control room and brief the team?"

"Good luck, man." Cyborg left, shaking his head.

Pulling the curtain divider between Raven's bed and Kairi's, Robin settled into the chair next to Raven's bed.

"Rae?"

"Mm?" She sounded exhausted, but he knew he had to continue.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't let you be alone during the fight, if I had just known that-,"  
She grabbed his wrist and shook her head frantically. "N-no. You- you saved me." He noticed how strained her voice was, and he got to his feet. Her grip slackened.

"Raven, you need to tell us what hurts the most. Just so we can try to help, or at least get rid of the pain without completely drugging you up. I'm sure you'd appreciate the ability to stay awake and alert. Please, tell me. Please."

"First," she coughed, "First, could you just tell me what happened? I know- I know it's bad. But I need to know."

He took her hand, and he could tell how much this action scared her. It was a precursor to bad news.

"Well, when Maleficent was trying to take away your heart, she wasn't done yet, when we stopped her, and now it has all of these…holes."

"Holes?" Her voice quivered.

"Rae, we're going to fix it, I promise. I promise. But we need you to help us fix it if you want to get better. We're not- well, we are superheroes, but I'm just human, you know."

She didn't smile, but he could see in her eyes that she understood. "My chest- it hurts to breathe too much. And I'm a little bit dizzy."

'Thank you."

AN- Ugh sort of a filler chapter but this fic is almost done, I think. It's really just whether I decide that Raven will survive or not. I'd say 2 more chapters, probably.


	10. Repair

AN- Once again, sorry for delays. I. Suck. We're almost done, though.

Heart

Chapter 10- Repair

He knew that she hadn't been sleeping well at all. Whenever Robin would enter the Med Bay, which Sora and Kairi had already vacated –_lucky bastards_- he saw her staring up at the ceiling, trying to force her eyes closed. It had already been two weeks now, and he knew they had to take action. She couldn't heal it herself. He just hoped it would work.

Robin sat down beside her bed. At this point, the metal chair was always right beside her.

"How are you feeling?" he gently prompted. Raven looked at him with a sad smile, and he found it impossible to turn away.

"The same."

"Are you ready?"

"I guess." She looked away, and Robin leaned forward and took her hand.

"Raven, it's okay if you're scared. It's okay. I mean, me, I'm pretty fucking scared, okay? But you'll be okay. You have to be." Robin murmured. Raven looked shocked at his language and the intensity of his speech. She took a deep breath and looked down at their hands, then met his masked eyes.

"Robin, I-,"

"Are you ready, Rae?" Cyborg entered the room, looking a bit nervous, but smiling for her benefit. He pulled on a pair of latex gloves.

"Yes, Cy."

"Yo, Rob, can you help me out?" Cyborg asked. Robin nodded and reluctantly got to his feet, letting go of her hand.

"Don't worry Rae, it'll be over really fast. You won't feel a thing." He looked so worried, and she wanted to say something, but the drugs overtook her and her eyes closed as she fell into a long-awaited sleep.

Robin watched her cautiously, watched the unnatural hitch in her chest that had become so familiar to him.

"She asleep, Rob?"

"Yeah. Do you think this is going to work?"

Cyborg looked at his friend carefully. "It has to." He locked the door to the Med Bay, to ensure that they were not interrupted, and pulled the surgical tools out from a drawer at Raven's bedside. Robin gulped- although he often had seen blood and guts in Gotham, it was different to operate on your own friend.

Moving her hand away from her heart, they gently prepared her chest for the incision. Cyborg carefully cut into her pale skin and Robin did his best not to look away, but when he reached down to hold her skin back, his gloved hands were shaking.

Then he could see her heart, pumping and rolling at that awful un-rhythmic speed, holes ripped into the surface, and he turned his head and gagged. He turned back, though, because he knew he had to help Cyborg and he knew that right now Raven needed him. He admired Cyborg's endurance.

"Do you have the threads?" Cyborg asked, face stern and all business.

Robin nodded and gave Cyborg the small black box. He watched anxiously as Cyborg took the threads and gently sewed closed up every hole that was on the surface of her heart.

"Now?" Robin asked.

"Now we hope."

They carefully closed the incision on her chest, using the same threads to sew it shut. The threads glowed for a minute, and then dimmed.

"Will those really work?"

"Man, I don't know. They're the best I could find, you know Raven is the one that's good with all that magic stuff."

It was silent. Cyborg picked up the tray of tools and began to clean them of blood. Robin watched, somewhat mystified. He snapped out of his trance when he heard a knock on the door.

"Friends Robin and Cyborg?" the voice asked timidly. Robin stripped off his bloody gloves and disposed of them, and then went over to the door and unlocked it, looking at Starfire through the crack in the door.

"How is Raven? Will she be the okay?"

"We don't know yet, Star. Not until she at least wakes up. We need to see if the stitches will dissolve or not. We've never used these before."

"I understand. May I see her?" Starfire asked.

"Cy, can she?" Robin turned to look over his shoulder.

"Sure, it won't hurt."

Robin opened the door all the way, and Starfire entered somberly. She instantly went to Raven's bedside and sat in the chair Robin had previously occupied; she even took Raven's hand. They sat in silence until Starfire could no longer bear it.

"Her hand is warm. That is a very good thing, I think." Robin put a hand on Starfire's shoulder and glanced over at Cyborg. Cyborg shook his head slowly. Raven's temperature was naturally three degrees cooler than their own, about five cooler than Starfire's. Cyborg went to Raven's other side and discreetly checked her temperature on his arm.

"She has a fever," he muttered to Robin, so that Starfire would not hear, "I'm going to grab some fever meds. If Star asks, tell her it's for her pain." Robin nodded, and looked back to Raven, still lying just as still as before. _Please, be okay._

Everyone visited Raven over the next few days; surprisingly, however, her most common visitor was Kairi.

One day, as Robin was about to enter the Med Bay, he heard Kairi speaking. He stayed outside of the door and listened.

"I just want to thank you, Raven. I know I don't really know you. But I haven't seen Sora in years, and you may not have meant to, but you helped me find him again. I love him, Raven. And because of you, we were reunited. So you have to get better, you know? It's not fair otherwise. And, I mean, it could have been me that Maleficent had tried to hurt first, not you. It should have been me, I'm so sorry. You have to be okay, you see? I just-," Kairi looked up. Robin had not been able to listen anymore, and had entered the room. It was quiet; the two had never been in a room alone together.

"I think she's getting better," Robin eventually offered.

"Really? Or are you just saying that to placate me? I'm not dumb." Kairi's words may have sounded angry, but her voice was quiet and thoughtful. Robin was surprised, but impressed at her forwardness.

"Her fever went down. The stitches seem to be holding."

"…Oh."

"She'll be okay." He turned to leave. "Oh, and Kairi?"  
"Yes?"

"It's not your fault."

"Robin?"

"Yeah?"  
"Thanks."


End file.
